THE Camden Haven Redbacks’ ‘Silverbacks’ have capped off a remarkable season by claiming the Men’s Senior A competition premiership and grand-final victory, marking the culmination of a three-year journey for the side.
Coach James Beard said the win meant an enormous amount to the players, supporters and wider Camden Haven community.
“Winning this competition means everything to us boys,” James said.
“We started three years ago and have come one step closer every year, and this year we won, taking out the premiership and winning the grand final.
“At the start there would have been 15 people watching us. Now we are pulling crowds in the hundreds from throughout our community.
“This win wasn’t just for us boys. It was for the kids coming through, all the older fellas who have been a Camden Haven Redback, and everyone in our community.”
The grand final against South West Rocks proved a fitting end to the season, with the two sides locked at 0-0 at half-time.
With around 20 minutes remaining, Josh Byrne broke the deadlock with a strike from approximately 23 yards to give Camden Haven a 1-0 advantage.
South West Rocks responded to level the scores, setting up a tense finish.
With around five minutes remaining, Camden Haven found the back of the net again through an attacking combination involving Josh Byrne and Matty Hayes.
The Silverbacks then held off a determined South West Rocks side through the closing stages to secure the grand final victory.
“It was a back and forth, tight game,” James said.
“South West Rocks never gave up and pushed us all the way. We knew we had to dig deep.
“Big credit to South West Rocks. They fought right until the end.”
The victory came despite the Silverbacks having to overcome several setbacks in the lead-up to the decider.
Captain Dave Bruer was unable to take the field after travelling to Fiji for a wedding, leaving vice captain Nathan Monaghan to lead the side.
Chris Guliano also suffered a broken ankle at training on the Wednesday before the grand final, while Adam Cohen suffered a broken leg several weeks earlier.
Despite those challenges, James said the group remained focused on what they had worked towards throughout the season.
“We had the trophy in sight and the blinkers on,” he said.
“As a coach with a mixed age group, I had to make sure the young blokes had confidence and trusted us older fellas, and the older fellas knew we had a job to do. So we went and did it.”
The Silverbacks squad included 27 players ranging in age from 18 to 56, something James said made the team’s success particularly rewarding.
“Some blokes met for the first time this year and will now have a lifetime bond,” he said.
“I’m most proud of having 27 players and making them all gel and be on the same wavelength all year, from 18-year-olds to 56-year-olds.
“They turned up every week and put in. I couldn’t do it if they weren’t all a bunch of great blokes and legends.”
James also paid tribute to captain Dave Bruer and vice captain Nathan Monaghan for their contribution throughout the campaign.
“I couldn’t have run this ship without all the boys, but a special mention has to go to Dave and Nathan,” he said.
“There were phone calls and texts from me daily. I’m pretty sure they’re glad that part of the season is over.”
While James emphasised that the championship was built on a complete team effort, he highlighted several individual performances, including grand final man-of-the-match Josh Byrne and midfielder Alex Retamal, who he described as an inspiration throughout the season.
“We have good players in our team, but at the end of the day this is a team game and you can’t shine if you don’t perform as a team,” he said.
For James, one of the lasting memories of the season will be the support the Silverbacks received from the Camden Haven community.
He said the crowd had played an important role in getting the side through its knockout semi-final the previous week before turning out again for the grand final.
“The atmosphere was goosebumps material,” James said.
“This means everything to our small town. I’m still getting text messages from numbers I don’t know saying, ‘The Redbacks are back, baby’.
“I had people crying and running onto the field when the full-time whistle went. It’s one weekend I’ll never forget.”
With the trophy secured and a three-year pursuit finally complete, attention will eventually turn to defending the title.
“Bring on 2027,” James said.
By Luke HADFIELD
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